Game: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity
Developer: Spike Chunsoft
Publisher: Nintendo
Reviewed on:

STORY

The story is what makes a game, it doesn’t matter what the gameplay, graphics or audio offer, if there isn’t a strong plot gamers will get bored eventually quit. Pokemon Mystery Dungeons: Gates to Infinity starts with a blurred out human face, with text regarding his (or her) confusion. You then find your self turning in to a Pokemon, at this point you are asked to pick which Pokemon you are from the following list: Pikachu, Oshawott, Snivy, Tepig and Axew. You are then presented with a cut scene, something becoming more and more common in recently released Pokemon games, of a Munna running from something asking for your help. You then awake from a dream (the cutscene) to another blurred face, this time a Pokemon’s. Again you choose from the list as to which Pokemon it is, bar the one you have chosen. From there you and the second Pokemon team up and go on adventures that eventually lead to you saving the Pokemon universe! At the start it begins with very simple tasks but as the game goes on the tasks get more advanced and test you in every way.

GRAPHICS

This is one of the best aspects of the game. The 3DS has really brought out the best graphics for Pokemon games. The 3D models for the Pokemon far exceed what we have seen in past spin off titles and blows out of the water what we have ever seen in the main titles. Pokemon X & Y are set to come out in October and if they use the same graphics then fans of the main titles are set for a beautiful visual experience. Attacks are on full display during battles and animations look good but not spectacular, on some of them all you really see is the Pokemon jump at their opponent and a small icon appear above them with the type of attack it is. There are of course some that are not like that, Ember for example shows actual flames come from fire type Pokemon. It is these attacks that clearly show off the potential for the battle mechanics for Pokemon games of the future. A nagging issue with the graphics is that when the Pokemon all talk to each other they never move their mouths. This is a small issue but still annoying, regardless of the fact that there is no voiceovers there should still be a degree of reality that when they are talking they can move their mouths, but more on that later.

SOUND

Audio has always been a hallmark of every Pokemon series and this now including Gates to Infinity. The music is up beat and cheery when you are in towns and exploring friendly areas, but when you enter more dangerous territory then it changes to something a bit more appropriate! This is of course nothing new, but works as well as it ever has. As mentioned earlier there are no voiceovers for the Pokemon, with only the very familiar scrolling bar at the bottom of the screen showing every bit of the dialog. Even if putting actual human voices wasn’t an option then perhaps Nintendo could have at least added the Pokemon’s cries so the game had slightly more audio appeal. That would have at least brightened up the moments in the game when the dialog drags.

GAMEPLAY

As a spin off series, Mystery Dungeons brings something very different to the main series of games, so if you haven’t played any of the previous spin off titles you’ll be very surprised by what you see. Saying that, as long as you don’t compare it to the main Pokemon games then you can have an enjoyable experience. Gameplay runs smooth, with a lot of clearly placed hints through out the game to help you get to grips with the controls for the game and even understand your objectives further down the line. Nintendo have come up with an easy to understand battle system for Gates to Infinity. Hold L to bring up a menu of attacks and then choose the attack you want to unleash. If you attack with out pressing L first then you will use a generic tackle to whittle down your opponents HP. Pokemon can battle just by going close to their opponent and selecting their attack, but take too long and you’ll be hit first. Certain attacks can even hurt enemies from anywhere in the room, but they don’t tend to be as effective as general attacks.

Nintendo have used a grid system when it comes to movement, so you can attack from several different angles. A lot of the same mechanics have been brought over from the flagship Pokemon games. Hit Points and Power Points are included and must be watched carefully as if they aren’t, you’ll find your self in a world of trouble. Items are there too, exactly the same as the main titles. Berry’s restore HP and you get the idea. Perhaps the most important mechanic brought over is the levelling up process. Defeat enemies, earn EXP, level up and get stronger. This is the best and most obvious levelling up experience as it has always worked flawlessly for Nintendo in the past, not just in the Pokemon series. All of these systems were always a safe bet to happen as you need to try and keep some type of familiarity in order to still make it the experience Pokemon fans have known and loved for many years. An annoyance found through out the game has to do with dialog (again). There are moments when I feel I could fall asleep, wake up the next day and the Pokemon would still be talking to each other before getting to the next part for us to actually play! It isn’t the entire game but it does get very tedious, sometimes you really want to just play the game in front of you.

LONGEVITY

Pokemon games have always been known for their longevity. The endless possibilities for such an enormous game have always helped. This still provides a lot of longevity but on a smaller scale. The fact that there are five Pokemon to choose between means that you could at least start the game five times with different consequences, add to that the second Pokemon selection and that’s another element to be considered.

VERDICT

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity is actually a good game on its own. The problems is that these spin off games will never be as good as the main titles. You may be getting sick of that being brought up over and over but unfortunately it’s the truth. However what I can say is that die hard Pokemon fans will have fun with this title and it will happily hold them over until October comes around and Pokemon X & Y blow their minds! If you aren’t a massive Pokefan then perhaps this isn’t the game for you, but then again, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you find.

7.5/10

The post Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity Review appeared first on Next-Gen Gaming Blog.

Mr Lee will be present at the Xbox360achievements gamestage. There will be a session held each day, where Scott will be playing a version of the game never demoed live in the UK before and also answering questions. He will also be doing a signing after each talk for the fans.

The session times are as follows:

Friday Stage time 4pm (24th May)
4pm Splinter Cell: Blacklist Overview Session
In the first of three Splinter Cell Blacklist sessions, Ubisoft gives us a rundown (with gameplay) on what gamers can expect from their latest title in the popular franchise.

Saturday Stage time 4pm (25th May)
4pm Splinter Cell: Blacklist – Stealth Demo
Stealth purists rejoice! Ubisoft will be on hand to give fans a run through of Splinter Cell Blacklist, the way Splinter Cell fans will be used to… with buckets of stealth!

Sunday Stage time 3pm (26th May)
3pm Splinter Cell: Blacklist – Action Demo
The third and final Splinter Cell Blacklist session puts action at the forefront as Ubisoft shows fans who aren’t enamoured with stealth that aggressive action gameplay is just as viable.

Let us know if you will be attending to meet Scott Lee and play the latest Splinter Cell title via the comment section below.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist will be released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and PC on August 23rd.

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The trailer gives viewers an exclusive behind the scenes look at the making of The Replacers Uprising launch trailer with actors Peter Stormare and J.B Smoove.

Enjoy the trailer and let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.

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It will be released digitally on July 3rd with a retail release coming on August 2nd. PC players will finally be able to battle it up in the title that was named the Fighting Game of the Year by Spike TV at the 2011 Video Game Awards.

Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition will come delivering all of the downloadable content (DLC), including intrepid warriors Skarlet, Kenshi and Rain, as well as the notorious dream stalker Freddy Krueger. Additionally, the game offers 15 Klassic Mortal Kombat Skins and three Klassic Fatalities (Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Reptile).

It will feature dynamic gameplay including Tag Team, Challenge Tower and a full feature length story mode. Players choose from an extensive lineup of the game’s iconic warriors and challenge their friends in traditional 1 vs. 1 matches, or gamers can spectate battles and interact directly with Kombatants online during the King of the Hill mode. The game supports the  Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition Fight Stick and delivers full controller capability. Players will also be able to access achievements and leaderboard stats.

Will you be getting Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition for PC? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.

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Fans of the recently released title can pre-purchase all future DLC at a discount with the Season Pass, now available on Steam, Xbox LIVE Marketplace and the PlayStation Network. The Season Pass also grants an additional weapon, the deadly Abzats, a semi-automatic shotgun rifle with a devastating secondary fire mode that unleashes six shells in one blast.

The Season Pass comes costing 1200 Microsoft Points/£11.99. Those who are subscribers to PlayStation Plus are entitled to an additional 25% discount on the Season Pass up until June 4th in the US and June 5th in Europe and everywhere else.

Metro: Last Light will be supported with a series of original single player content packs throughout the summer. This includes:

• The ‘Faction Pack’ and the ‘Chronicles Pack’ will include new, original single player gameplay that expands on the Metro: Last Light universe and story
• The ‘Tower Pack’ will present a unique solo challenge to Metro veterans
• Meanwhile, the ‘Developer Pack’ will give creative players some interesting tools with which to explore the world of Metro…

Andrew Prokhorov, Creative Director at 4A Games stated:

“Artyom’s story may have been concluded in Metro: Last Light, but there are other characters with stories to tell, some familiar locations that fans of the Metro series wanted to revisit, and some new challenges that 4A wanted to explore, Since completing the game we have been working on these new stories and hope to release them throughout the summer.” 

Let us know your thoughts on the Season Pass via the comment section below.

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Although the game was first revealed back in 2011, not much is known about the game and it has been re-developed into a next-gen title. More details of Ryse will be announce at E3 which is pointed out in the official site which is accompanied by a countdown.

The game will come featuring controller-based gameplay enhanced by Kinect stated by the official site.

Are you looking forward to hearing more about Ryse? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.

Source: IGN

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Speaking via twitter, Xbox Support stated:

@beastlychickin To deliver consistent, meaningful gameplay to all users, only Xbox One controllers/accessories work w/Xbox One^ML

— Xbox Support (1-5) (@XboxSupport) May 22, 2013

Are you disappointed that none of your Xbox 360 accessories will work with the Xbox One? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.

Source: GameSpot

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This follows the same direction as the original Kinect which was first released for the Xbox 360 but then was also made available to Windows PC users a few months later.

This news was confirmed at Polygon by Microsoft’s corporate VP of interactive entertainment business Ben Kilgore. Kinect 2.0 will have the capability to understand much more than the original Kinect such as rotation of wrist, shift balance, transfer of motion, and when you’re exercising it can read your headbeat.

Will you be getting Kinect 2.0 for PC? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.

Source: CVG

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The game will be available this friday, May 24th. The Wii U version will take advantage of the innovative Wii U GamePad controller.  Players will navigate through Gotham City using an enhanced interactive map and select their favorite DC Comics characters to assemble a powerful team of heroes, all with the use of the controller’s touchscreen.  They can even enjoy the entire game experience on the GamePad in off-TV mode, or have a second player join in on the TV, so they can fight crime together without having to share a single screen.

A trailer has also been released which shows off the new Wii U features. Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.

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The DLC will also be released at some point today on the PlayStation 3 and comes costing 400 Microsoft Points/£3.99. A trailer has also been released showing the history of Batgirl’s character within the DC Comics universe.

Let us know your thoughts on the DLC via the comment section below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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